Improvement in gas-purifiers



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

. WILLIAM H. ST. JOHN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' IMPROVEMENT m GAS-PURIFIERS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,352, dated August23, 1874; application filed February 24, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. ST. JOHN, of the city, county, and State.of New York, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for thePurification of Gas, of which the following is a specification-z Thisinvention is an improvement upon my invention for the purification ofilluminatinggas, for which Letters Patent of the United States wereissued to me September 2, 1873. Its object is to insure the morethorough or intimate contact of the gas with the purifying-liquid; andto this end it consists in the combination of fixed breakers or dividingdevices with one or more of the dip-tubes described in the aforesaidLetters Patent, such devices being arranged to break or divide thecurrent or currents of gas issuing to and through the liquid.

The drawing is a front view and vertical section of an apparatusconstructed according to my invention.

A is an ordinary hench of retorts; B, the hydraulic main thereof, and athe stand-pipes, which, being continued within the hydraulic main,constitute the dip-pipes thereof. At such level as to secure the usualsealing of the aforesaid dip-pipes is an outlet-pipe, F, which connectswith the lower compartments of a tank, 0. This tank has a horizontalpartition, b, from which depend the dip-tubes at, opening at their upperends into the upper compartment of the tank, and at the lower ends intothe lower compartment. The liquor (derived primarily from thedistillation of the gas-producing material in the retorts, andprecipitated to liquid form in the hydraulic main) flows through thepipe F to the lower compartment of a tank, 0, and is maintained thereinat a height suflicient to seal the diptubes at, the greater or lessdepth of the seal thus provided to the tubes being regulated by ianadjustable outlet-valve at d. From the upper portion or gas-space of thehydraulic main to the upper compartment of the tank extends agas-conducting pipe, D, which, midway between the hydraulic main and thetank, is furnished with an exhaust, E, drawing the gas from thehydraulic main, and forcing it under pressure to the tank, which latterhas ts outlet A* leading to the gasometer or other suitable receiver.Provided horizontally underneath the lower ends of the dip-tubes is aperforated plate, w.

The gas, forced under pressure into the upper compartment of the tank 0,passes down through the dip-tubes a into and through the liquorcontained in the lower compartment of the tank, and finally, escapingfrom the liquor, passes to the outlet A*. On its way from the dip-tubes,however, and during its passage through the liquor, it is caused to passthrough the holes or orifices in the perforated plate, and the currentfrom each dip'tube is thereby broken up and dispersed, and. the gasconsequently more intimately commingled or brought in contact with theliquor than would be possible without such breaking up, division,

or comminu-tion of the currents of gas issuing from the dip-tubes to andthrough the liquor. The chemical action of the substances held insolution by the liquor upon the impurities originally contained in thegas is, therefore, materially increased, and the purification of the gasthereby rendered more rapid, effectual, and complete.

When preferred, the perforated plates may be of wood or any othersuitable material. Moreover, in lieu of the perforated plates, sheets ofwire-cloth, of any preferred mesh say, one inch or one inch and aquarter-may be employed; or fixed bars, gratings, or the like may beaffixed in or below the lower end of each separate dip-tube, tosubdivide or break up the current of gas issuing therefrom to the liquorin the lower compartment of the tank. Furthermore, the principle of thismy invention is equally applicable to an apparatus in which but onedip-tube or hydraulic seal is used as to thosein which a moreconsiderable number is' -adopted, as herein set forth. 7

What I claim as my invention is- The combination of fixed breakers ordividing devices, with the end or ends arranged for sealing of one ormore dip-tubes, a, substantially as and for the purpose herein setforth.

WVM. H. S1. JOHN.

Witnesses:

W. T. BALLARD, GEO. H. ST. J OHN.

